[367 words]
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17).
Peter tells us that as Christians, we must be law-abiding people. Why? Because people (worldly) will point at us, if we aren’t law-abiding, and call out our inconsistencies. They would then cast this stain upon the church and our Lord. This can’t happen!
Peter gives us the formula to avoid this:
Honor all people. Be respectful of others. Be courteous and have a good reputation among them. This can give us opportunities we might never have.
Love the brotherhood. A group of unloving Christians makes us lose our influence. Loving one another makes us stronger for the work of God. It keeps us united as Satan does everything he can to divide us.
Fear God. Solomon told us this this in Eccl. 12:13. It is just as important now as it was then. We won’t be keeping any of God’s word unless we are in proper awe of God. We must have a deep reverence for Him and be respectful in our lives and worship.
Honor the king. Paul tells us the same thing, basically in Romans 13. Although God may not approve of all the king (leader) of our people does, he is there for a reason. We are to obey the law and thereby honor our leaders. We are subject to our government as long as it doesn’t command us to go against God’s law.
If we do these things, God will be pleased and we will have good influence on those around us. The church won’t be condemned for being full of law breakers. How you and I live, individually, helps or hurts the whole.
Chris Moore
Clarendon church of Christ
Clarendon, TX